Memorial Day

I sure hope your Memorial Day weekend was as pleasant as ours. It was a wonderful combination of friends, family and farm. The picture above is the flagpole at Marvin's brother's place at Lake Nacimiento. He has a beautiful "compound" there with a new weekend home and great outdoor kitchen and gathering areas. The American flag was the one received from the veterans and given to my mother when my father passed away in 1976. She thought it would be a great place for it to be flown since he loved the lake. The bottom flag is from Marvin's cousin's place in Baja California. You should take a look at their website: http://www.bajajoe.com.

We were invited to a birthday party on Sunday. It was absolutely amazing. The food was delicious, the weather was great and the company was perfect. There was a band that was probably the best local band I've heard with a combination of classic rock, country and christian music. We had so much fun listening and dancing. It was truly one of those evenings that you just don't want to end. We met and reconnected with so many beautiful souls and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Of course, mixed in with all the fun was normal farm duties. Up in the morning and feeding and watering all the animals, checking the veggies and trees to see if they need to be watered, building new pens, baling hay and collecting eggs. Marvin made a comment on Sunday which I totally agree with. Someone asked him if the farm was a lot of work and he said, "There is nothing I do that I consider work. I love every bit of it."

Piper (one of our sows) is due to deliver piglets any day. Pigs are pregnant for 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days. They usually are very accurate so we should have little squeelers soon. We had to build a special farrowing pen where she could have the babies and they could get away from her without being squished. Pigs have 2 uteruses so they have babies on one side and then plop over on the other side for the rest of them. They don't mean to, but often lay on the first babies at this time.

This week will be a busy one for me getting ready for the Bradley Elementary School farm visit.

Hope you have a great (short) work week!

"Hay" you!

Well, Marvin's hay crop has turned out MUCH better than we expected! He has been baling hay for the past 3 days. So far, he has 602 bales and still has 13.75 acres left to bale.

We have chicks, chicks, chicks. The barn is full of them and they are cute, cute, cute.

We had a nice fellow and his young son visit today. They were asking about eggs and I was explaining to them that the eggs they buy in the market could easily be up to 2 months old. Additionally, the chickens from commercial producers are often kept in small cages and fed a commercial feed that may include hormones and antibiotics. Our chickens are free range and are allowed to roam in the open fields during the day, eating grasses and bugs as well as feed that does not include hormones or antibiotics. These chickens are inherently healthier. Our eggs are much more flavorful and much better for you. You can actually tell by looking at a the yolk. The yolks "stand up" high and are a very dark orange in color. Once someone tastes our fresh eggs, it's very difficult to eat eggs from a grocery store.

I hope you have a very nice Memorial Day. Please keep in mind what the holiday really is for - to honor those that fight for our freedom so we can enjoy this beautiful country.

I saw this sign on the Readers Digest website and just absolutely love it.

We went up on the back 300 acres last evening and saw this beautiful sight. This is a herd of elk that has been hanging out there. These animals never cease to amaze me. They are so large, but yet so graceful.

We have a bunch of romaine lettuce and broccoli that is ready this week. We just had a yummy salad from the field for lunch. We had some odd weather in the past couple of weeks so I figured that the tomato blossoms would drop. Guess what. Our tomato plants are covered with little tomatoes!

I'm really beat this afternoon. I got up very early and took out the tractor to mow the roads. After that, I spent the remainder of the morning trimming fruit trees. I thought it would be a good idea to take my little dogs, Tuck and Burner with me. Wrong! The poor little things became covered with those little corkscrew stickers. So, before lunch, I gave them each a bath and brush out.

Marvin and his guys are working hard to finish the frontage fence. It is looking really great but takes a lot of work.

Our hay is all in rows. The challenge now is to find someone to come and bale it. I'm sure hoping to get it done soon so I can use some of it for the Bradley kids to sit on for their lunch next Friday when they come to visit the farm.

Hope your week goes quickly and that you have the weekend off!

It must be spring!

I had a really busy day in town - went to do an errand and it became 3/4 of a day getting parts and supplies and everything else for my husband. Got home around 3:00 just in time to see our 3rd baby lamb being born. What a wonder!

We moved some of our baby chicks into a new pen in the barn that Del built for us today. We have about 200 "replacement" chicks being shipped tomorrow from Missouri for the shipment that came a couple of weeks. If you remember, most of that shipment had been suffocated (along with many shipments to other people).

Will write more tomorrow, but I just wanted you to see the new babies and our "goat herd".

Raking

I hope you are all having a wonderful day! Things are fun on the farm. We are raking the hay to prepare it for baling. The tractor and rake in the picture above are pretty much "antiques" but doing their work. Marvin has a knack for finding friends that have equipment to loan so we don't have to immediately go out and buy everything until we know just what we need. While he was raking yesterday, I felt as if I had been drawn back in time to the days when I used to go with my dad to farms in the area. My family owned a welding and machine shop in Paso Robles and my dad would often be called upon to repair equipment. If it was summer, he would ask if I wanted to ride along. Since the sun rose and set on my daddy, I never turned down an opportunity to go.

The romaine lettuce is really great right now. It's amazing that 60% of the outer leaves are torn off and disposed of. It's really just the heart that is eaten by most of us. We picked a few heads and gave them to friends to try out. The heart is good, but the further out, the more bitter. This is due to the fluctuations in weather we have been experiencing. Our head lettuce is good, but very small. We have a friend who manages a large organic operation. He said that their head lettuce did the same thing - again a weather problem.

We have two of our ewes that have lambed so far. We feel pretty confident that the other 3 ewes should be lambing soon. We are holding off shearing them until after the lambing ends, but Marvin had to catch one of them and pull fox tails out of her face. She is a "babydoll" breed and has long hair all the way up to her eyes - poor baby.

The bees are doing well. We have 5 hives, but actually lost one queen. It was really odd. When Marvin set them up, he had trouble with one of the hives. He put them all inside their hives, but one swarm kept coming outside the box. Evidently, the queen didn't like it inside (maybe she had claustrophobia). Anyway, Marvin continuously put them back in inside, but it did not good and finally the queen left. I guess we have much to learn.

Enjoy the day!

I attended a very interesting meeting Wednesday evening. I belong to the local chapter of the California Women for Agriculture. Our meeting featured Vivian Robertson, CEO of the Paso Robles Event Center, Home of the California Mid State Fair. She was there to give a report on the proposed budget cuts to the Fair System and how it directly affects us locally and on the state level. Fortunately our own fair doesn't have too much problem with these cuts as they only take $25,000 annually toward their budget. Some other smaller fairs have larger issues since they are more heavily subsidised and those subsidies make up 1/2 of their annual budgets. There is a school of thought that this will actually cause some of these small fairs to consolidate which is probably for the best.

I announced at the meeting that I would love to have volunteers to come to the farm on June 3rd for our Bradley School visit. I had a few of these really great agricultural based ladies that volunteered. Additionally, I met a great gal that is graduating from Cal Poly. Her name is Katie Dirkes and she is probably the most perfect connection for the farm. She has been in charge of the Farmers Markets and has students that may be interested in working on the farm this summer. She is also very excited about coming to help on June 3rd.

We were given 5 kittens for our barn yesterday. They come from "barn cat" stock so should do a good job on the mice. We put them in a round pen last night with lots of food and water, but they climbed out and made themselves at home. One of my "old cats", Red, caught a squirrel day before yesterday. He's 18 now, so that seems like a really good feat and he was praised extensively.

The poor veggies are very confused - the weather can't seem to make up its mind. It looks like it might level out a bit so that should help.

Marvin is making fine progress in finishing our tall fencing across the front of the property. He almost has the section to the south of our driveway done. When this is completed, we will feel better about leaving the dogs in that field to chase off the unwanted critters.

We have some new trees in our fruit orchard. They are Medlar(Mespilus germanica) trees. Although little known in the U.S., medlars have been grown in Europe for thousands of years. They are attractive, self-fertile trees to about 10' with healthy foliage, white flowers, and unusual 1" diameter fruit which is collected after the first fall frost. Immediately after picking, the fruits are much too hard to eat, but if allowed to ripen for a few weeks in a cool lighted place, they undergo a process called "bletting" and become soft, spicy, and rich, with a cinnamon applesauce-like flavor. Fruit may be eaten raw or made into a delicious jelly.

I wanted to revisit the photos above. I took them last year about this time. We had a sow that lived under a large oak tree by the barn. There is an owl box in that tree and we had two baby owls in the box. One night we went to close the barn for the night and there was a baby owl with our chickens. The next morning I went to check on it and it was still roosting in the barn. When I went outside to feed the pig, there was a second baby owl sitting on top of our sow. I went to get my camera and stood there for 20 minutes taking pictures and that baby just sat there riding around.

I heard a great quote the other day. I think it can be applied to issues other physical: "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."

Going to the Birds

We have both been fighting a cold, so we were a little slow yesterday afternoon. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. We went up in the field to collect eggs and ended up just leaning against the fence and enjoying them for a while. There is something so relaxing and "normal" about watching chickens a listening to their little "cluck clucks". You can see above the hitchhiker on the Kabota with Marvin's newly cut hay (he's very happy about that) and our great barn in the background.

Our pond has a couple of mallard ducks floating around on it the other day. We don't get many of them so it's a treat when they stop for a visit.

I know that a lot of people don't like blue jays. I happen to think they are pretty great. I know, I know they invade the nests of the other birds and can be pesty, but I like their spirit. They sit on my window sill and peck at the window (probably at their own reflection) then they land on the ground and hop, hop, hop. If you say something to them, they don't fly away in fright, but rather look you in the eye. I want to feel like a blue jay every day.

My mom and I saw a beautiful Golden Eagle on Thursday. We have quite a few of the bald eagles around, but this is the first Golden I've seen since I was a child - and that's a long time ago!

I looked up on Wikipedia about them and found the following:
"The Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas. Despite being extirpated from some its former range or uncommon, the species is still fairly ubiquitous, being present in Eurasia, North America, and parts of Africa. The highest density of nesting Golden Eagles in the world lies in southern Alameda County, California. These birds are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their heads and necks.

Golden eagles use their agility and speed combined with extremely powerful talons to snatch up prey including rabbits, marmots, ground squirrels, and large mammals such as fox, wild and domestic cats, mountain goats, ibex, and young deer. They will also eat carrion if prey is scarce, as well as reptiles. Birds, including large species up to the size of swans and cranes as well as ravens and Greater Black-backed Gulls have all been recorded as prey. They have even been known to attack and kill fully grown roe deer. The Eurasian subspecies are used to hunt and kill wolves in many native communities, where their status is regarded with great mystic reverence.

Golden eagles maintain territories that may be as large as 60 square miles. They are monogamous and may remain together for several years or possibly for life. Golden Eagles nest in high places including cliffs, trees, or human structures such as telephone poles. They build huge nests to which they may return for several breeding years. Females lay from one to four eggs, and both parents incubate them for 40 to 45 days. Typically, one or two young survive to fledge in about three months.Feeding

The Golden Eagle's predominant prey in North America are rabbits and ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and marmots. Additional mammals regularly taken include mice, martens, foxes, young deer, and mountain goats.

The secondary important prey group for eagles are other birds. Any bird, from a jay to a swan or a even a Common Crane, is potential prey. Golden eagles are avian apex predators, meaning a healthy adult is not preyed upon. There are records of golden eagles killing and eating large raptors such as Gyrfalcons, Northern Goshawks, and Buteo hawks, whether adults, nestlings or eggs. Falcons, skuas, and Buteos like Rough-legged Hawks, which are normally competitors, have worked together to group-mob Golden Eagles that have passed their adjacent nesting areas. In one instance, a golden eagle flying in towards a peregrine falcon nest was struck and killed by a swooping parent falcon. This may have been a freak event since, bearing in mind the eagle is many times larger and more powerful than the falcon, the reverse outcome is much more likely. More commonly, Golden Eagles kleptoparasitize, or steal prey, from other raptors. While not as large as some vultures, golden eagles are capable of driving vultures and other raptors from carrion.

During winter months when prey is scarce, Golden Eagles scavenge on carrion or large prey, such as goat-antelopes and caribou. There is one confirmed report of a Golden Eagle snatching the cub of a Brown Bear, Other attacks by a pair of eagles on adult brown bear have been filmed, the birds probably were driving the bear out of their territory.

Golden Eagles have exceptional eyesight and can spot prey from extreme distances. The Golden Eagle's eyes are many times more powerful than that of a human. The huge talons are used for crushing, killing and carrying the prey, whilst the beak is used for tearing and eating. A pair often have a division of labour while hunting, one bird may drive the prey towards its waiting partner. On the other hand, the size difference between males and females allows more unpaired birds to live off the land, which is helpful to maintain a sufficiently large population for this large and slowly-maturing bird.

Golden Eagles usually mate for life. They build several eyries within their territory and use them alternately for several years. These nests consist of heavy tree branches, upholstered with grass when in use. Old eyries may be 6.6 ft in diameter and 3.3 ft in height, as the eagles repair their nests whenever necessary and enlarge them during each use. If the eyrie is situated on a tree, supporting tree branches may break because of the weight of the nest. Certain other animals—birds and mammals too small to be of interest to the huge raptor—often use the nest as shelter. Their predators are just the right size for Golden Eagle prey, and therefore avoid active eyries.

The female lays one to four (usually two) eggs between January and September (depending on the locality). The eggs vary from all white to white with cinnamon or brown spots and blotches. They start incubation immediately after the first egg is laid, and after 40 to 45 days the young hatch. They are covered in fluffy white down and are fed for fifty days before they are able to make their first flight attempts and eat on their own. In most cases only the older chick survives, while the younger one dies without leaving the eyrie. This is due to the older chick having a few days' advantage in growth and consequently winning most squabbles for food. This strategy is useful for the species because it makes the parents' workload manageable even when food is scarce, while providing a reserve chick in case the first-born dies soon after hatching. Golden eagles invest much time and effort in bringing up their young; once able to hunt on their own, most golden eagles survive many years, but mortality even among first-born nestlings is much higher, in particular in the first weeks after hatching.[citation needed]

At one time, the Golden Eagle lived in temperate Europe, North Asia, North America, North Africa, and Japan. In most areas this bird is now a mountain-dweller, but in former centuries it also bred in the plains and the forests. In recent years it has started to breed in lowland areas again, e.g., in Sweden and Denmark.

There was a great decline in Central Europe where they are now essentially restricted to the Apennine, Alps, and Carpathian Mountains. In Britain, the last comprehensive survey of Golden Eagles took place in 2003, and found 442 occupied territories.[24] A less thorough survey in 2007 showed that in addition to large numbers of territories in the Scottish Highlands and the Inner and Outer Hebrides, there were a handful of birds in southern Scotland and northern England. Between 1969 and 2003 they nested in the Lake District, Cumbria.

In Ireland, where it had been extinct due to hunting since 1912, efforts are being made to re-introduce the species. Forty-six birds were released into the wild in Glenveagh National Park, County Donegal, from 2001 to 2006, with at least three known female fatalities since then. It is intended to release a total of sixty birds, to ensure a viable population. In April 2007, a pair of Golden Eagles produced the first chick to be hatched in the Republic of Ireland in nearly a century. The previous attempt to help the birds breed at the Glenveagh National Park had failed.

In North America the situation is not as dramatic, but there has still been a noticeable decline. The main threat is habitat destruction which by the late 19th century already had driven Golden Eagles from some regions they used to inhabit. In the 20th century, organochloride and heavy metal poisonings were also commonplace, but these have declined thanks to tighter regulations on pollution. Within the United States, the Golden Eagle is legally protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Available habitat and food are the main limiting factor nowadays. Collisions with power lines have become an increasingly significant cause of mortality since the early 20th century.

Golden Eagles have been used in falconry since the Middle Ages. In Asia, they were used in teams to hunt such animals as deer, antelope and wolves, while their use was reserved for Emperors in Europe. They can be trained for falconry.

The Golden Eagle is the national bird of five nations, Albania, Germany, and Austria in continuation of the Holy Roman Empire, Mexico and Kazakhstan, the most of any species. The eagle is very much connected to the Saladin Golden Eagle, currently used as the coat of arms of Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine, it was also previously used by Libya, and Yemen.

The Golden Eagle was model for the aquila, the standard of the Roman legions. It is featured in the national coats of arms of Germany, Albania, Austria, Egypt, Mexico, Romania and many other countries.

The eagle is a sacred bird in some cultures and the feathers of the eagle are central to many religious and spiritual customs, especially among some Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada, as well as among many of the peoples of Meso-America. Some Native American peoples revere eagles as sacred and the feathers and other parts of Bald and Golden Eagles. Feathers are often worn on Native American headdresses and have been compared to the Bible and crucifix of Christianity. Eagle feathers are often used in various Native ceremonies and are used to honour noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery.The Golden Eagle is thought to be the origin of the Thunderbird legends of the southwestern United States,

Current United States eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use. Thus, the supply of eagle material for traditional ceremonial use can be guaranteed and ceremonial eagle items can be passed on as heirlooms by their traditional owners without the restrictions that would usually apply. Commercial trade in Golden Eagles or their feathers or body parts is not legalized by these exceptions.

That's your leason for the day - enjoy!

Start 'em young

The funniest thing happened the other night. We were sitting at the table going over our vegetable schedule and heard the oddest noise. At first, we thought we were having an earthquake. We went to the door to see Ben (our male Pyrenees) with the handle of our 120 quart ice chest in his mouth. This is not a small ice chest. He was carrying it from the barn to the front lawn were he stacks anything he collects throughout the night (mice, squirrels, gophers, skunks). I guess that will teach Marvin to clean up all his toys and tools before going in the house.

The lambs are growing - literally by leaps and bounds. They run across the field and leap through the air. I wish I could do that.

I met with the teacher from the Bradley School Thursday regarding their upcoming farm field trip. My daughter lives in Orange County and said that they had to PAY $7 per person for their kindergarten class to visit a farm down there. We are just so excited to have our local school come visit. We will set up stations for them to visit and learn about the fruit trees, olive trees, veggies, cattle, sheep and chickens. For lunch, we are going to treat them to a BBQ and then back to school. I'll let you know how things are going as they progress. If anyone has any ides, drop me an email at kblackbu3@yahoo.com.

We also will be hosting the California Rare Fruit Growers for the July meeting and BBQ.

We received a phone call from a very nice fellow who works at Camp Roberts and lives down the road. He was looking for turkey eggs. I had put a dozen in a carton but were waiting to hear from him (he had left a message previously on the answering machine). He was so happy because he really likes them and was going to visit his mother. He wanted her to taste them.

Marvin is busy finishing the harvesting of our hay crop. It looks like a fine crop of feed to get our cows through the hot months.

We have veggies growing big and tall. Put them in that warm ground and they really start reaching for the sky. I know that large farms have hundreds of acres of farmland, but I swear that each and every plant is more like a personal garden plant.

My grandson Landon helped me plant veggies in my "kitchen garden". As you can see, the sun was a bit bright so grandpa let him borrow his hat.

We are committed to sustainable agriculture here at HZ Harvest. I found a really nice quote describing just what that entails. "Sustainable agriculture is a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances rural communities."

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Let the harvest begin

Sorry it's been so long since we've "talked" We have had a very busy couple of weeks. Besides all of the "farm happenings", we had social events.

Wednesday May 4th was the 49th Annual Agribusiness Tour. This is the one that is put on through the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce. Walt Heer and I were co-chairmen (although he did most of the work). We met Wednesday morning at 8:00 and boarded busses bound for the coast. There were a total of 341 guests enjoying the tour. The first bit of fun was the bus driver backing into the power pole before we even left Paso. After taking his cell phone away from him twice while he was driving, we were able to get a replacement driver in Morro Bay. Those folks gave us quite a treat. They suprised us with salmon omlets and Dungeness Crab roll ups. Dockside restaurant served them to all 341 people at no charge to us. They gave a great presentation about the fishing industry and what they are going through just to stay in business. It was a picture perfect clear day and already 75 degrees. When we left there, we traveled up Highway 1 to just north of Cayucos. The busses pulled over along the ocean and the fellow from the abalone farm told us all about raising them for the consumer. They take 4-5 years before they are ready to go to market. No wonder they are $60 a pound! From there we continued up the the coast to the Hearst Ranch for a great steak lunch and dessert of Lins Ollalaberry Pie and Cold Stone Creamery ice cream, accompanied by great speakers including Steve Hearst and his foreman. On to Niner Winery for wine tasting - what a beautiful facility! Our final stop was Jack Creek Farm. These folks are the fifth generation of farmers to live on this property. They are trying to hang onto it by running a great roadside stand and presenting special events such as a threshing bee and kids day. We finally returned around 6:00 pm - totally exhausted but having had a great day and gathering so much information.

Marvin spent Thursday and Friday starting the cutting of our hay crop while I prepared for our daughter's wedding. We are so proud of Meghan. She waited until 31 to get married and her husband is 35 and has never been married. They have a great give and take relationship (at least from our point of view) and I'm sure will have a long and happy life together. The wedding was at a beautiful church in Arroyo Grande and the reception was held in a tent in the field on his parents ranch in the Huasna Valley. Meghan personally saw to each and every detail and the event couldn't have been better. Even the weather was perfect.

On top of all this, we have 2 new baby lambs (so cute) and we are increasing our chicken flock. This means we are getting a couple of hundred 2 day old chicks every couple of weeks or so.

We had purchased some tomatoe "plugs" (seedlings) a couple of months ago in flats of 300. Right after we bought them, we had an unexpected frost and they shriveled up. Well, after watering them, they are looking mighty fine and their root systems are very healthy. In the meantime, we were able to purchae others to get into the ground. My wonderful step dad has been volunteering his time to repot the plugs into larger pots that we have empty from the olive trees we planted last month. I am selling them at the eggstand, so if you are in the area and want some really healthy plants at a great price, stop in.

We'll talk soon.

Our new baby

This picture is one of hens that decided to lay on her egg on our supply shelf a few weeks ago. When we checked on her today, we found a baby! I know, we have hundreds of chickens already, but this one is home grown! If you look really carefully under her chest, you can see the chick peeking out. A hen normally takes 21 days to hatch her young. She is the best mom. Marvin tried to reach under her and she not only pecked him - she drew blood!

The weather is definitely heating up. We had some of our romain lettuce in a salad last night and it was really good. Of course, it always tastes better when you grow it yourself.

There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do all and enjoy all. Life on the farm is a never ending array of sights and sounds and things to enjoy.

Stay tuned for more!

Snake alert!

Busy, busy weekend! Marvin and his helpers planted 1200 vegetable plants and laid7500' of irrigation pipe. The weather has warmed up and all the plants are starting to really come into their own.

I spent the weekend in my "home garden" behind the house. I pulled weeds and put in my drip system. Currently, I have broccoli, cauliflower, onions, garlic, artichokes, potatoes, tomatoes and melons. I forgot about those muscles in my right arm and shoulder. Thank goodness for Aleve!

We are in the midst of planting the last 75 olive trees and finishing their drip irrigation.

The cattle are still eating on their 1-1/2. They are fat and happy, but not eating as fast as we expected so they will stay there for another few days before we move them and bring in the chickens.

The new baby chicks are doing well and growing. The "teenagers" are looking more and more like the bigger chickens.

One of the hens that we raised last summer decided that she really likes eggs. She was breaking them and eating the insides.

Well, chicken sounded really good for dinner tonight. I put it in the big slow roster that I have. I have an old recipe that is my favorite. I take instant rice and put it in the bottom with the chicken halved and laying on top. Then I put a can of chicken broth over it, followed by a can of cream of mushroom soup. Next I sprinkle some sliced mushrooms on top and an envelope of Lipton onion soup. The lid is put on the electric broiler and I slow cook it for 3-4 hours. Nothing tasted quite as good as this dinner did tonight.

The Lake San Antonio Wildflower triathlon happened this weekend. The bike race is about 24 miles and went right past our gate. One of their refreshment areas was located right across the road. The picture shows the volunteers holding out water and gatorade. The bicyclists reach out and grab one without slowing down. The top 20 finishers came from all over: New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, France, Canada and many other locations far and wide.

Snakes are really prevalent this year. Marvin found this cute little gopher snake a the bottom of our driveway. Since they are harmless, he picked it up and headed it back away from the road. We got a call from Del (my brother in law) about a rattle snake he killed at their new house. They can certainly stay away from me! Everyone must be on the look out for them 'cause it's a long way to the hospital.

Time to hit the hay - I am getting up early in the morning to jump on the tractor and mow some weeds.

Enjoy the day!